Cinema 4D Text Tutorial

[Jay]

This is what you'll be making:



### Note: This tutorial assumes you have a basic knowledge of how to navigate around in C4D. I'm also using Cinema 4D Release 10 ###



Alrighty then let's get started:

Step 1: Open up a new project in C4D.


Step 2: Create a Text spline.


Step 3: With the Text spline selected click on the object tab in the attributes manager and rename it to whatever you want. I used my name on these forums as an example.




Step 4: Now create a Circle spline:




Step 5: Wit the Circle spline selected click on the object tab in the attributes manager and change the radius of the circle to 10m.


Step 6: Create a Sweep NURBS.




Step 7: In the Objects Manager click and drag the Text spline and make it a child of the Sweep NURBS.


Step 8: Now click and drag the Circle spline and make it a child of the Sweep NURBS.


Make shure that the Circle spline is above the Text spline or else you won't get the proper result:

Bad:


Good:


Step 9: Add a Floor.


Step 10: Select the Sweep NURBS in the Object Manager and then go to the Coord. tab. Change the Y axis to 100m.


Step 11: Add a basic Cube object.


Step 12: Rotate your camera view so your looking at the side of everything.


Step 13: With the Cube object selected and the Coord. tab open change the cooridinates to what I have shown below.


Step 14: Create a New Material.


Step 15: Double click on the gray ball that just popped up so that the following screen comes up. Make shure that only the boxes that I have selected are ones that you have selected. So that meens that only Color, Luminance, Reflection are checked off. Change all of there settings to what I have shown below (don't forget the fresnal in the reflection settings).




http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j8...lipboard49.png

Step 16: Once that's done Click and drag your newly created shader from the Materials Manager onto the Box and Floor objects in the Object Manager.


Step 17: If you press CTRL+R your screen will render the image it should look very close to what is below. If not then you messed something up while changing the shader settings.

[Jay]

Step 18: Select the Danel Shader.


Step 19: Take your Danel shader and add it to the Sweep NURBS so that your text turns red.


Step 20: In the Object Manager click on the 2 circles that are beside the Box and Floor objects until they are red so that those objects don't show up in the main viewport.


Step 21: You see those 2 dark strips along the sides of are viewport? Everything inside of them will be rendered in the final picture but everything outside won't show up.


Step 22: Move your camera view around so your facing the front of your text and it's centered in the middle of your screen, make shure to zoom in or out so that the edges of your text inside the dark strips.


Step 23: You can uncheck those red circles so that your floor and background (box) comeback.


Step 24: Create a basic Light.


Step 25: With the light object selected click on the Lens tab in the Attributes Manager.


Step 26: Select the glow....... dropdown menu and change it from Inactive to Wideangle.


Step 27: Right below where you selected the lens type there is another button called "edit" click on it so the menu shown below comes up and change it to the settings I have provided and then hit the OK button.


Step 28: Back in your main viewport... Well press F5 so that it's switches to all of the different view ports.


Step 29: Make shure you have the light object selected and then in the "Front" viewport move the light the the center of your text or maybe somewhere else if it looks better. and then make shure it appears "inside" the text in the "Right" viewport. Once your done moving the light around press F1 to get back to the normal viewport.


Step 30: If you press CTRL+R than this is what it currently should look like:


Step 31: It's not looking that good right now so go back into the lights lens options and edit them to what i've shown below.


Step 32: Now create a Spot Light.


Step 33: Press F5 to bring up all of the viewports again.


Step 34: Move the Spot Light far away from the text in the right viewport, you'll have to zoom out in that viewport to get it far enough away and make shure it's level with the text in the from viewport so all of the letters get an equal amount if light.


Step 35: Change the Spot Lights intensity to 70% by having the Spot Light selected and in the Attributes Manager go to the General Tab and then lower the intensity.


Step 36: Press F1 to get back to the main viewport again and then press CTRL+R to so see the render it should look somewhat similar to what I have below.


Step 37: Now go to Render > Render Settings or press CTRL+B to bring the menu up.


Step 38: With the render options box open go to Output settings and change the resolution to 1280x1024.


Step 39: Go the Save settings and change the format to JPEG aswell as selected the Alpha Channel box. You can now close that menu.




Step 40: When we changed to resolution it changed where the dark grey strips in the main viewport are so hide the floor and box object again and move your camera angle around to fit accordingly. Another thing to do is with the Sweep NURBS selected go to the Coord. tab and lower the Y axis to 75m, it could even go lower if you do put it lower it should probably be somewhere around 50m.


Step 41: Press F5 to bring up all the viewports and select your first light object (not the spotlight). In the General tab crank up the intensity to %200 and move it around a bit if need be.


Step 42: Press F1 to bring up the main viewport and then press SHIFT+R to start the rendering process. Once it's done click File > Save Picture as... and then in the next box that comes up just hit OK and select where you want to save the image.




Here's the acouple of outcomes. The second looks better (you can see what I did, edited the lens options and lowered the text so it reflected of the ground more).


Example 1:



Example 2:


Copyright © 2007, Jay.
If you see this tutorial anywhere else notify me (unless it's on se7ensins ).

[unr.]

Simple enough.

There's a lot more to be done with lighting effects, and text tricks.
But you used the lighting quite effectively.


And it bothers me, because the lighting effect used is stupid, and doesn't reflect off floors.

But oh well, great tut.

[hybrid]

Very well explained ....

[CaptainAnarchy]

I learned alot with your tutorial. I didnt follow the tut exactly but heres my result.

[Jay]

Nice work, here's something you can try: Create another plane below the current one and apply the black shader you made then go to the original floor and give it some opacity. It's a neat affect.

[xX2SiCc]

Nice dats cool.

[mad-eyemoody]

great tut

thank you man

[Sypherism]

very useful tut
thanks a ton

[capo]

Nice tut. Im using this program in school. I might try this later.